A more RPGlike Space Fighter sim...

[MKSheppard]

I'm sure that some of you remember Wing Commander I, where you could actually semi-advance in the ranks of the Tiger's Claw, getting the newer fighters faster, if you actually did good missions, and Wing Commander Prophecy, where IIRC you could actually join a bomber squadron.

Why not take this further, and instead of simulating just a small part of the war effort around a single ship like TCS Concordia; try working an overarching story around a Task Group or Fleet containing all types of ships, from big fleet carriers to small frigates; with your position in the pecking order determined by a simple game you play at the beginning of the game (Anyone remember Wing Commander I where you started the campaign playing a simulator on Tigers Claw, and then got prompted to enter your name?); and the higher the score, the better ship you get assigned to; like if you score badly in the game, you get assigned to a crap-bucket frigate with only 6 badly obsolete fighters, while if you score a medium score, you get a pick of which squadron type you want, Attack or Fighter, and you get assigned to a decently sized cruiser. An even higher score results in fleet carriers.

Likewise; instead of every mission being a deadly important mission, toss in a couple of randomly generated patrol missions, like you go fly out in front of the fleet or into asteroid fields to screen ahead of the fleet; and destroy anyone you find; sometimes you'll find nothing, other times, you might find a couple of enemy units...

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

A lot of what you're describing is Starshatter. Ever checked that one out?

[phongn]

The last bits of WCP did indeed let you choose bomber vs. fighter for a few missions and then would assign you to a particular squadron based on what you chose earlier.